ONSLOW BOROUGH GAS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 48, 27 February 1911, Page 2

ONSLOW BOROUGH GAS.

TO THE EDITOR. _ Sir, — I ask you to kindly grant sufß« cient space for this, in reply to Mr. Bowdon's letter in your issue of Saturday. Mr. W.. JL Bowden, councillor for Onslow, is, I learn, a resident of Kaiwarra. He is also one of the representatives of the Kaiwarra Ward on tha Onslow Borough Council. Kaiwarra is the only ward in the Onslow Borough, that at the present time enjoys — and for years past has enjoyed — a service from the gas mains oi the Wellington Gaa Company. It is also served by the electric light. Mr. Bowden then, of all the councillors, should have refrained from taking any active part in preventing the other wards from enjoying ther same advantages as Kaiwarra now -enjoys. Had I bsen at the council table, 1 should have refrained from voting on a matter that did not in any way affect my ward. Mr. Bowden, however, thought fit to vote, and voted against the proposals, and so lost us the con« tract. He now deems it necessary to support his action through the medium of your paper, and suggests that my opinions are worthless, becuise I am influenced by other motives than thafc of doing my bust for the district. fellow-residents will no doubt be satisfied with my statement that I have no axe to grind. Will Mr. Bowden attend the public meeting at the Bowling Club's pavilion, Khandallah, at 7.45 on Tuesday evening next, which I shall attend ? Mr. Bowden says he did, and always will, to the best of his ability oppose unnecessarily tying the borough lor a term of 21 years, etc. This is a strange statement for Mr. Bowden to make in view ot his conduct at the council's meeting. He must already have forgotten the motion which Councillos Plimmer moved and he (Mr. Bowden) seconded. The motion ran as follows :: — • "That the Onslow Borough Council enter into a contract with the Wellington Gas Company for the term (mark these words) and on the conditions already, agreea to by the council, and on the , further conditions (here follow the conditions which 1 need not report).' 1 Now, I am given to understand that the term* which tho council had agreed to give tho Gas Company was 21 years. After s-oconding and voting for this motion, which had the effect of tying the bor^ ough for a term of 21 years, Mr. Bowden has tho audacity to say; ho did, and always would, oppose such a thing. Can Mr. Bowden reconcile tho statements contained in his letter with his conduct at the council table ? I do not know what Mr. Bowden means by his reference to the ' 30 lights, it might almost be inferred ' from Mr. Bowden's letter that he opposed the taking of tho 30 lights from the Gas Company ; but this surely cannot be so, because of the fact that ho voted for the motion agreeing to take them. Mr. .Bowden'ts inconsistency is apparent. Mr. Bowden suggests that the Gas Company should be compelled to give an undertaking to supply gas to every ' house requiring h in Khandtillah and Ngaio. Does Mr. Bowden for a moment think such an obligation would be under-; taken by any business concern ? Sup. pose someone thought fit to build his home on tho top of the Crows Nest. Does Mr. Bowden suggest that the Gaa Company should be bound to supply such person with gas if ho required it? In districts such as ours, where th« houses are widely scattered and ths country of a broken character, it is unreasonable to expect any gas or evea electric light company to enter into such an agreement.— l am, etc.. HERBERT KIRKCALDIE.

The- matron of the Presbyterian Children's Home desires to grrtsfuily afr. knowledge gifts from the following :— Cakes and scones (per Mrs. Dr. Elliott), Anonymous and Mr. Robinson ; fruit, vegetables, etc.. from the Newtown, Congregational Church (per Mr. Eggers).